'Dutch woman (26) kidnapped to North Korea, brainwashed and trained as a spy'

©Thomas Evans via Unsplash

Did a young Dutch woman who disappeared without a trace in Ireland in 1978 end up in North Korea? According to De Telegraaf, there's a chance that the mysteriously disappeared Leidy Kaspersma was actually abducted to North Korea. Even worse, she might have even been brainwashed and trained as a spy. The Telegraph traveled to several countries for a podcast series about the woman "Kidnapped to North Korea" and spoke to numerous people, including family members, former lovers, old friends and several experts on North Korea and terrorist groups. The result is an extraordinary investigation.

In fact, The Telegraph discovered that the name of the disappeared Leidy Kaspersma has resurfaced in the closed country of dictator Kim Jong-Un. And that's remarkable since, in almost half a century, no information was known about the then 26-year-old Overijsselian, who seemed to go up in smoke in Ireland, in 1978.

Nell, a niece of the disappeared Leidy, contacted The Telegraph years ago, following an article about a North Korean abduction program from the late 1970s. Indeed, the totalitarian dictatorship in East Asia abducted countless Japanese and South Koreans at the time. Two Dutch women were also mentioned, but it was never made clear exactly who they were. What if her aunt fell victim to these nefarious practices? At least several signs seem to point in that direction.

'French, Italian and Dutch women lured to North Korea'

Nell revealed that shortly after her disappearance, Leidy's then-boyfriend suddenly turned up in Lebanon, where a civil war was raging at the time. During the same period, four Lebanese women were also lured to North Korea under false pretenses. Partly under pressure from the PLO of Yasser Arafat, an ally of Pyongyang, some returned. After their release, they claimed to have been imprisoned with, among others, two Dutch women. One of them could be Leidy.

According to a then secret CIA report, the aforementioned Lebanese women were lured to North Korea with the "promise" of a good job as Hitachi's secretary in Japan. The conditions: pretty, unmarried, and multilingual.

"There were 28 young women in the camp, including from Europe," one of them told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Nahar. "Three French, three Italian and two Dutch. It was impossible for them to rebel against their captors." The foreigners were given ideological brainwashing, but were also trained in combat techniques and spying methods. One of the Lebanese victims never responded to questions about Leidy.

Susan Komori, an American lawyer with the Japanese Rescue Movement (a nonprofit organization that has worked to free Japanese hostages since 1998), confirmed that Leidy Kaspersma's name was mentioned in the past. The information dates back to the early 1980s and comes directly from North Korea, from a time before the Internet existed.

"I can't think of any other reason why we would know Leidy's name. Except in relation to North Korea," Komori clearly told The Telegraph. However, because there's no irrefutable evidence, her organization has never made this information public.

Aleida Maria Anderske Kaspersma, who was best known as Leidy, was last seen on Sunday, July 2, 1978. With her English boyfriend Nick at the time, she was living with a British couple, near the southwestern town of Kenmare, at the foot of a mountain. The couple was having a difficult time and Leidy suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. After three weeks, her boyfriend reported her missing to the Irish police. The Irish police received tons of criticism, claiming the investigation was amateurish. Was she kidnapped to North Korea?

©Thomas Evans via Unsplash - illustration image of women in North Korea.